Protecting hearing from certain powerful antibiotics
Therapeutics to prevent aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss
A company is developing a medicine to protect adults from hearing loss caused by aminoglycoside antibiotics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ting Therapeutics, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11140406 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You may hear about a compound called TT003 (piperlongumine) that was found in a screen using zebrafish and helped protect hearing in mice given an aminoglycoside antibiotic. In this project the company will run the laboratory and animal studies needed to support an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, including tests that make sure TT003 does not reduce the antibiotic’s ability to kill bacteria. They will define safe and effective dosing and the therapeutic window in animal models that mimic patients with Gram-negative infections. The goal is to complete the preclinical work needed to move TT003 toward human testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who receive or may need aminoglycoside antibiotics for serious Gram-negative infections would be the eventual candidates for this treatment.
Not a fit: People who are not treated with aminoglycoside antibiotics or children under the adult age range would not directly benefit from this specific protective treatment as currently studied.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the drug could prevent or reduce hearing loss in patients treated with aminoglycoside antibiotics.
How similar studies have performed: Some antioxidant-related approaches like ebselen or N-acetylcysteine have shown promise in early work, and TT003 has protected hearing in zebrafish and mouse models, but human benefit is not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
San Diego, UNITED STATES
- Ting Therapeutics, INC. — San Diego, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zuo, Jian — Ting Therapeutics, INC.
- Study coordinator: Zuo, Jian
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.